Bark vs Norton Family
Learn how the Bark Premium app stacks up against Norton Family.
Compare the Features
Set custom rules for school time, bedtime, and free time.
Set time limits or schedule times or days of the week your children can use their Windows PC or Android.
Note: iOS screen time scheduling is limited.
Block specific sites and apps or choose from 19 categories, including adult content, gaming, and streaming sites — all on any browser.
Choose which sites kids can visit and block the apps you don’t want them to use.
Scans online activities like texts, emails, and social media platforms for concerning content across 29 categories.
Use their Supervision features to see what your child is searching and browsing online. On iOS devices, only the Norton Family in-app browser can be monitored. Native iOS browsers, like Safari, cannot be monitored.
Note: As of April 24, 2025, Norton Family no longer stops children from making/receiving calls to anyone they choose during Time Curfew and Instant Lock periods, and parents cannot monitor or view the messages that their child exchanges with their friends.
Get email/text notifications for issues like cyberbullying and sexual content.
Alerts sent when your kids attempt to visit a blocked site.
Check your child’s location in real time on a map.
Receive location alerts when child arrives or leaves pre-set locations.
Get your child’s exact location with check-ins.
On mobile, you can see a map of your child’s Android or iOS device location.
With Bark, you can:
Monitor content
Get alerts for issues like bullying, predators, sexual content, and more.
Manage screen time
Create custom daily screen time schedules for your child’s device.
Block websites
Block access to specific websites or even whole categories.
Track location
Stay on top of your child’s location with our real-time map, location alerts, and check-ins.
Pricing & Details
- Monitor texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and platforms
- Monitor web searches and saved photos & videos
- Receive parental monitoring alerts for issues like cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more
- Get insights into your child’s digital activities
- Learn how to address issues with child-psychologist advice and tips
- Manage screen time
- Block website and apps
- Keep up with kids with location alerts and check-ins
- Free access to Talkspace Go
FAQs
Once you connect your child's devices and accounts, Bark runs quietly in the background — no daily effort needed. Here's the basic flow:
1. Bark monitors your child's online activity
Bark scans texts, social media, emails, web searches, and saved photos and videos across your child's devices. Rather than flagging every message, it uses advanced AI and natural language processing to understand context — so it knows the difference between a kid venting about homework and a kid who's genuinely struggling.
2. You get an alert when something needs your attention
If Bark detects a potential issue — like signs of bullying, predatory behavior, suicidal ideation, or explicit content — it sends you an alert right away, along with context and guidance on how to address it.
3. You stay in control of the rest
Beyond monitoring, you can manage screen time schedules, block websites and apps by category, and track your child's location with live GPS and check-ins — all from the Bark parent app. For a deeper look, visit our How Bark Works page.
The easiest way to get started is to visit our sign-up page or download the Bark parent app (iOS, Android) — from there, you'll be guided through setup step by step.
Not sure which product is right for your family? Learn more about the Bark App, Bark Phone, Bark Watch, Bark Sync, and Bark Home.
Bark's phone monitoring app for parents not only provides comprehensive coverage for all the top apps and devices, but also takes the crucial extra step of helping families navigate the issues raised by alerts.
Here's a complete list of absolutely everything Bark monitors on every device.
Ready to get started?
Bark was created by parents, for parents, to offer a better, easier, and more effective way to help families create healthy digital habits.
